There is a brotherhood among these musicians that is sonically undeniable. You can’t sound this tight unless you are family. And, after nearly 10 years of playing together, Back Rhodes is a family. Each player in this band knows their part, their brother and their mission. It’s as if their instuments finish each others sentences; it’s that close, that comfortable, that simpatico. Two of the Back Rhodes boys are actually brothers, I should note. But on stage, and in the studio, they are one cohesive unit.
Lead singer Jesse Desourcy’s aged-in-oak-smokey-toned vocals could warm up any cold night. He uses his texture expertly, emoting pain, joy and passion as needed. On their latest single, “Good at Being Alone,” you can easily detect the influences of some of their favorite Americana artists like Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers, to more mainstream country artists like Chris Stapleton. The song opens with a crying fiddle and picks up steam with guitars, bango, drums and harmonies, eventually finding peace within the message, that it’s okay to be alone.
You can hear their new song, before it’s even officially released, and get the story behind it, here. Learn all about the band, how they came together, who are their influences, favorite songs and other fun facts, below.
The Rythm of the Rhodes
“Good at Being Alone,” according to the band is a song “Good at Being Alone was written by our front man, Jesse Desorcy. while trying to think of songs to write about last winter, the idea of trying to capture the feeling of accepting the fact that often times, being on your own is a much better option than being stuck in a rut or unhealthy relationship. it’s a song about coming to terms that your happiness and well-being is more important than putting yourself second. it’s a walk through the struggles and emotions that ultimately lead you to being content with choosing yourself; a country-western self-love journey!”
Listen here:
Meet the Band
- From: Rhode Island
- How did you get your name: We wanted something that would reflect the state we’re from and the people we’re playing for. We settled on Back Rhodes to pay respect to our roots and the fans who make it happen.
- How did you come together and when: 2013 would be our year of inception. It appears we’re coming up on a pretty big bandiversary. Jesse and Ed are brothers from the same mother, but the rest of the O.G. lineup met at a local open mic; began writing & gigging together, eventually adding A.J. & then Chris to round out the band
- The Band:
*Jesse Desorcy- banjo/acoustic guitar/lead vocals ( Burrillville, RI)
* Ed Desorcy Jr- bass/vocals (Burrillville)
*Chris Quiray- acoustic guitar/banjo (Burrillville)
*Antonio Salvatore (AJ)- violin/vocals (Narragansett, RI)
*Jay Coutu- Drums (Glocester, RI)
*Tyler Hill- Electric guitar (Foster, RI)
- How would you describe your sound: Progressive country with Americana and rock influences sprinkled on top. We all come from pretty diverse musical backgrounds. Good at Being Alone has us embracing our pop-side, and we have no qualms with bending musical genres to continue to evolve our sound
- Biggest influences: Artists pushing the envelope in the alt-country genre have been heavily influencing us lately. Artists like: Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Brent Cobb, Turnpike Troubadours and Zach Bryan.
- All time favorite country song:
Tyler: “A Tornado Warning”- Turnpike Troubadours
AJ: “Tulsa Time” – Don Williams
Jay: “Mud on the Tires” – Brad Paisley
Jesse: “Elephant” – Jason Isbell
Ed: “Love and Regret” – Billy Strings
Chris: “What Happened to Country” – Nick Bosse & “Wild Horses of Wyoming ” – Jake Hunsinger
- Current favorites on Country 1025: Last Night Lonely – Jon Pardi, The Kind of Love We Make – Luke Combs, ‘Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson
- Day jobs: We are all over the place. Tyler is a carpenter, Jay is an engineering manager, AJ is a realtor & property manager, Chris is a contractor/solar consultant, Ed is a software engineer and Jesse is a full time musician. But we are all about the music at night!
- Most proud moment: Winning a New-England-wide battle of the bands and getting to play the Cowboy Up Festival in Brockton where we opened for country stars Big & Rich, Jo Dee Messina and Frankie Ballard; and meeting all the acts & eating ribs with Trent Harmon and his band. And We played at CountryFest at Tamarack Lodge with our good friends (Nick Bosse & The Northern Roots, and Nick Casey & the Full Damn Band) and all of the musicians took the stage for the last songs as we belted out ‘Country Roads’ & ‘Amazing Grace’. Being on that stage together, I think we were proud in many ways of our band and community and it was a truly special moment.
- Craziest thing that ever happened in your music career: Musically it was pretty crazy when Jesse got flown out to LA to be on NBC’s The Voice (season 20). He gained valuable experience and a lot of attention, and in turn the band gained new followers and opportunities.
Random crazy thing: Tyler was out adventuring and hiking in Whitefish, Montana; he made it to the top of a mountain and randomly ran into and met Paul Cauthen, a spectacular country artist from Texas who we cover.
- Fun facts: AJ is a happy dad to 2 beautiful children, and his daughter has starred in several commercials. Tyler’s a jack-of-all-trades, with hobbies including adventuring, mount biking, golfing, photography (and seriously, the list keeps going). Jay is an avid beekeeper and mountain biker. Jesse not only fronts this band but also plays drums in a rock band and has multiple projects. Check out Jesse’s solo album, EIGHTY-FIVE SHARP. Chris plays in a number of bands, helps book shows & manages our social media. Ed could be considered the captain/band dad; from running sound to booking shows and keeping us on course, there’s a reason we call him steady Eddy.
Follow Back Rhodes
Stay connected with Back Rhodes by following them on their social media. Get gig info, new music and more, here:
Are YOU a Catch?
Every week, Kruser’s Local Catch highlights New England’s homegrown country music talent, and tells you where to catch them locally and in Nashville. Click here to view previous catches.
*Singer/songwriters with original music: Please submit for consideration on The Local Catch by emailing: [email protected]
